I have received this question in my inbox a lot lately, and I have struggled to respond because there is no quick answer to this question–and what works for me may be different then what will work for you. So this post will give you an overview of what has worked for me.
When I started my blog on February 22, 2010,
not an advertiser in the world would take a chance with me.
I was new.
I hardly had any content on my blog
and I only received hits from my Mom, Nina and Brittany.
There was nothing in it for them.
So I started small.
I started with giveaways.
Of my own products, at first.
Then I convinced some of my friends to give me product for a giveaway.
And once I got to a point where people were actually reading my blog,
I went in search of real advertisers.
How to Find Sponsors For Newer Blogs
{the beginning}
FOCUS ON THE CONTENT:
Before you spend too much time worrying about getting sponsors, make sure your blog is something that other people want to read, make sure your readers will trust your endorsements, and make sure that you have an established and loyal following–this doesn’t mean make sure you have a lot of followers. Followers do NOT necessarily reflect the popularity of a blog {although it can often be used as a good indicator}. By “following”, I mean, be sure you have a group of people that visit your blog regularly and are interested in what you have to say. Once you get to that point, advertisers will know you have influence when you promote their products.
LOOKS MATTER:
Before I decide to advertise the LMM Shop on another blog, I take careful consideration of the blog appearance. Is it clean, easy to navigate, etc. So be sure, you have the “look” of your blog down before you focus on making $. For tips on Beautifying Your Blog, visit Nina’s helpful series here.
Once you have developed your content, cleaned up your blogs appearance and established a loyal following, you are ready to find sponsors.
FINDING YOUR FIRST SPONSORS FOR YOUR BLOGÂ
{they will not find you}:
When you have a newer blog, you are most likely going to have to go out and find your sponsors–they will not come to you. I recommend four place to look first:
1. friends and family who have a business.
2. etsy: this is a great place to search for companies and products that you think will be a good fit for your blog. And, just like you, these businesses are usually home-based, and looking for affordable advertising.
3. other blogs similar in size and content to yours: find other blogs out there that are like yours. Then figure out who advertises on their blog. You can start by approaching them, because you know they are already open to the idea of advertising on blogs.
4. Product Features: In the beginning of my blog, I did a lot of “etsy features”–where I showed you all some of my favorite items on etsy from non-sponsors. After the post went up, I would send those shops an email that said something like “i just featured you on my blog” and give them a link. If they write you back saying thank you, then you can consider sending them an email about sponsorship {see what this email should include below}.
Once you have your list of potential sponsors, you need to write a letter.
DO NOT MAKE THIS LETTER GENERIC!!! POTENTIAL SPONSORS HATE THAT!
In fact, if I get an email from someone who wants me to advertise LMM on their website, but I can tell that they blasted it to 100 other shops, and the email started with “hi”, and they didn’t even bother to insert my name–I put it right in my trash box. As an advertiser, I am waaayyy more likely to go with a blogger who has familiarized themselves with my product, who has taken the time to look around my shop, and who LIKES what I sell.
NEVER ENDORSE A PRODUCT YOU DON’T LIKE!
Start your letter with Dear “name of the shop owner {not the company}”. In the first sentence point out that you LOVE their shop. But then ALSO be SURE to mention exactly what it is you love about their shop {so they believe that you actually visited}.
For example:
Dear Nichelle,
I am in LOVE with your Etsy Shop, Vintage Wanna Bee!
My favorites are the Chloe, the Sadie and the Hannah–in fact, I have even hearted many of your items to hint at my hubby for Christmas. You have some talent girl!
Now, Nichelle will be motivated to continue reading my letter, and even more likely to visit my blog to consider advertising with me. In the next part of my letter, I would write a brief one sentence description of my blog–then point out that her shop would be a big hit with my readers. I end the letter by letting her know:
If you would like more information on FREE promotional programs on my blog, please let me know.
That’s right, I said FREE!
In the beginning, you can’t really expect to get paid, until you have established yourself as a legit promoter. I offered all my advertising for FREE {or in exchange for product} for the first few months of my blog. Even though it is FREE, businesses will still turn you down, because they are giving up product, which is an expense for them {so be prepared to be turned down more often than you get a “yes”}.
WHEN THEY SAY “YES” to MORE INFO:
When one of your prospects requests more information, you will need to send them a second letter outlining the promotions you offer and EXACTLY how they work.
This letter should include details on giveaways, reviews, and side bar ad buttons. I also like to include a link to past promotions I have run for other businesses so they can take a look at what a “product review” would look like once posted.
In all reality, you will probably send out 50-100 of these letters in your first few months. Once you have about a dozen giveaways and/or reviews under your belt, you have likely worked out the kinks, it is likely that businesses will start approaching you.
Once enough businesses start approaching you, you are probably ready to start charging.
HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH TO CHARGE:
When I went to the Causal Bloggers Conference they gave us this formula to figure out how much we should charge per month {see below}. I think this number is a bit inflated.
FORMULA
Take your page views per month, round up or down to the nearest hundred, drop 3 zeros, and then multiply the amount by 1.25.
Ex: 200,000 page views per month. Drop 3 zeros = 200, Multiply by 1.25 = $250
According to this model, I should be charging $250 per month for advertising.
I DON’T CHARGE THIS MUCH! Due to current economic circumstances, I don’t expect my sponsors to pay anything close to this for a monthly rate. But you can use this as a reference and make your own decision.
CREATE A MEDIA KIT:
Once you know what your prices will be, I think it is very important that you create a media kit, outlining all your promotional programs and blog specs.
Your media kit should include:
-a brief description of you and your blog {make it interesting}
-a brief paragraph about why you are a great blog to advertise their product
-blog stats
-prices
-specific information on promotions {giveaways, reviews, ad buttons}
-links to sample posts
I HAVE SOME SPONSORS, NOW WHAT:
Now you go to work promoting the hec outta them!
Work hard for them.
Facebook ,tweet, link up,
do whatever you can to get the word out about them.
Because when they grow, you succeed too!
TRUST ME, there is no better feeling than watching someone you care about succeed and knowing that you played some small role in that success–so CARE about your sponsors!
Love them,
and then your readers will too!
Be sure that you get along with them,
believe in what they do,
and enjoy their products.
Because if your relationship with your sponsors isn’t sincere,
your readers will see through it,
and they will stop trusting you.
